Reeling apparatus



Feb. 22, 1966 H. F. HANSCOM REELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1964 INVENTOR.

HARRIS F. HANSGOM ATTORNEYS Feb. 22, 1966 Filed Feb. 26, 1964 H. F HANSCOM 3,236,465

REELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

G, 3 HARRIS F. HANSCOM BY fiww Wm ATTORNEYS United States Patent Island Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,560 7 Claims. (Cl. 242-25) This invention relates to a reeling apparatus of the type which may be used for winding a hose, rope or the like thereon, in order to form a package.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a reeling apparatus which may be used for coiling material to provide a package and then removing the package from the reel for shipment, the reel being subsequently used to form additional packages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a head which may be used with the reel as a guide for the packaging material in building up several layers but which head may be easily and quickly removed after the package is formed so that the package may be removed from the reel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a head which may be positioned to operate in conjunction with the reel even though the reel is rotating.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reel with a head, the head being removable from the reel, if desired, before the reel has completely stopped rotation.

A more specific object of the invention is to drive both the reel and the head in unison and in such relation, one to the other, that the head may be positioned to be used on the reel when the head and reel are stopped or when the head and reel are rotating.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement which will lock the removable head in position relative to the reel and which may be unlocked and moved away from the reel by a single manual operating stroke.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus in operating position and showing some of the supports in section;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental sectional view of portions of the operating mechanism and on a scale larger than that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a detail showing the trunnions carrying the head for moving the shaft; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation of a fragmental detail showing the arrangement of stops.

In proceeding with this invention I provide a reel which carries one head extending radially from the winding surface thereof and which may be either fixed as herein shown or collapsible as is more specifically described in my cQ-pending application, Serial No. 353,930 filed March 23, 1964, entitled Collapsible reel. This application, however, is directed to the provision of a head which is removable and which substantially abuts one end of the reel for the guiding of the material which is to be wound on the winding surface thereof. I mount this re movable head on an arm which swings about an axis, spaced from the axis of the reel and which head is driven so as to rotate simultaneously with the reel, and I also slidably mount the shaft upon which the head is mounted so that it may be withdrawn axially of the reel preliminary to its being swung laterally of the reel for exposing the wound package on the reel for removal therefrom.

With reference more specifically to the drawing, I provide some supporting structure which may comprise vertical angle irons with cross beams 11 and 12 at suitable elevations extending between the vertical angle irons 10. A drive shaft 14 extends through beam 11 and is suitably supported in bearings 15. This shaft 14 projects beyond the beam 11 and has an end 16 which is its terminus (FIG. 3).

A reel 17 is mounted upon the shaft 14 to be driven thereby and in the illustrated embodiment comprises sectors 18, each of which carries a head 19 axially adjustable along the sector by means of bolts 20. This head 19 is at all times carried by the reel and may be axially adjusted by means of the slots 21 and the bolts referred to in order to provide the required axial length of package 22 which is shown in FIG. 1 as pliant material such as hose, rope or the like. Troughs 25 are located between the sectors 18 of the reel and are of generally channel shaped structures providing a groove 26 for the location of a tying cord for the package which is wound upon the reel.

At a point spaced from and angled with reference to a vertical plane through the shaft 14, there is a rock shaft 30 which is rotatably mounted on the beam 12, its mounting being more particularly shown in FIG. 3 as comprising a plurality of rods 31 extending between plates 32 and 33 with the rod reduced to provide a threaded portion 34 and shoulder 35 at one end, which threaded portion extends through the beam 12 and is secured thereto by nut 36, the shoulder 35 serving to engage the plate 32 and drawing it snugly up against the beam. The rod 31 at its other end is provided with a threaded bore to receive the screw 38 which extends through a registering opening in the plate 33 and is drawn snugly up against the plate 33 when the head 39 of this screw is turned up snug. These plates carry bearings 40 and 41 which serve to rotatably mount the rock shaft 30. Some sort of a covering casing 42 extends about this bearing to enclose the same.

A radial arm 45 is fixed to the rock shaft 30 and is of a length to extend into the proximity of the axis of the drive shaft 14. This arm 45 rotatably mounts a sleeve 46 by means of a pair of ball bearings 47 which sleeve carries a gear 48 having a hub 49 keyed to the sleeve as at 50. Within this sleeve and keyed thereto a shaft 51 is axially slidably mounted, which shaft carries the removable head for the reel designated generally 52. The head 52 comprises a plurality of radially extending blades 56 which are secured to a plate 54 that, in turn, is welded as at 55 to a reduced section 53 of shaft 51. The number of blades corresponds to the number of sectors 19 of the head on the reel, and each blade is of a shape so that recesses 58 are formed between each blade for the accommodation of the groove members 25 which project sufliciently to enter the recesses 58 when the head is in working position (see FIG. 3).

In order to axially move the head carrying shaft 51, I provide a bracket 60 which projects from the arm 45 and upon which there is pivoted a lever comprising a pair of plates 61 pivoted on bracket 60. The plates 61 are supported in spaced relation by shoulder pins 62 and 65 with the reduced portion of the pins extending through the plates and equipped with nuts 66 and 67. The lower pin 62 serves as a pivot for the lever. The plates 61 at a point remote from their pivotal mounting are provided with a latch 70 which is pivotally mounted upon the upper pin 65 and carries a hook 71 to engage an abutment 72 on the arm 45 and has a handle 73 which serves as a handle for the entire lever. This latch may be swung by means of the handle 73 to lift the hook 71 from engagement with abutment 72. A spring 74 coiled about the pivot mounting 65 serves to swing the latch counterclockwise in order to maintain the hook in engagement with its catch 72. This latch 70 is also equipped with a slot 75 through which pin 76 extends and which pin 76 is secured in the plates 61 so that this latch is limited in its swinging movement. The remote surface 77 of the abutment or catch 72 is curved so that when the plates 61 are moved toward latching position, the inclined surface 78 of the hook will ride up over the abutting surface 72 and then drop in back of it after it has reached working position. A pair of ball bearings 80 and 81 are mounted upon the head shaft 51 and received between them trunnion-like pins 82 extending inwardly from the plates 63, which pins engage the outer races of these ball bearings serving as trunnions so that as the lever is moved, the shaft will axially move toward and from the reel carrying the head 52 with it.

The apparatus is driven by means of a motor 85 (see FIG. 1), a sprocket chain 86 coupling the motor to drive shaft 14 of the apparatus. This shaft, in turn, through sprocket chain 87 drives auxiliary shaft 88 which extends through the rock shaft 30 and is rotatably mounted therein by bearings 89 and N) (FIG. 3). This auxiliary shaft carries a sprocket gear 91, which by means of sprocket chain 92 drives the sprocket gear 48 on the sleeve 46 which, in turn, rotates the head shaft 51 by means of a keyway which is elongated to permit shaft 51. to slide within sleeve 46. The gears on the drive shaft and auxiliary shaft and on the head shaft will be such that the head shaft will rotate at the same angular revolution as the reel.

After the package has been wound on the reel with the removable head 52 in position, I first secure the material by ties laid in the grooves 26. In order to remove the package from the reel, I then remove the head 52 by pulling on the latch handle 73 to move it away from the end of the reel. The initial movement of the handle disconnects the hook 71 from its abutment or catch 72 and then by continued movement in the same direction, the shaft 51 is slid through its sleeve 46 and the head is moved until it engages with the sleeve, then the arm 45 is swung to the position at one side of the reel as shown in FIG. 2 and the package may then be slid off the reel. The arm 95 on the rock shaft will engage stop 96 in this position as seen in FIG. 5.

To return the head 52, it is swung over until arm 95 engages stop 97 which will cause shaft 31 to axially align with drive shaft 14 and then the handle 73 is moved toward the reel until the latch engages catch 72.

I claim:

1. In a reeling apparatus, a reel carrying one head, means to rotate said reel, a removable head, means to movably mount said removable head for positioning its axis in alignment with the axis of said reel or out of alignment therewith, said means also incorporating means to mount said head for movement along its axis of rotation for movement axially away from the reel, and means to rotate said removable head to rotate simultaneously with the rotation of said reel in any of its various positions.

2. In a reeling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means to mount said head for movement axially of the reel comprises an axially slidable shaft.

3. In a reeling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said means to mount said head for movement axially of the reel comprises an axially slidable shaft and a lever on said means to movably mount said removable head for axially moving said slidable shaft.

4. In a reeling apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said lever is provided with a latch to lock the lever in operating position.

5. In a reeling apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said lever is provided with a latch which is pivoted on an axis parallel to the pivot axis of said lever whereby a movement in one direction serves to initially release said latch and then moves the lever to axially move the head from the reel.

6. In a reeling apparatus, a drive shaft having an end, a reel mounted thereon having a winding surface extending axially substantially to said reel end, a rock shaft, an auxiliary shaft driven from the drive shaft coaxial with said rock shaft, a radial arm extending from the rock shaft, a third shaft rotatably mounted on said arm in axial alignment with said drive shaft in one position of said arm, means rotating said third shaft from said auxiliary shaft, means for axially sliding said third shaft through said rotating means whereby rotation may be carried on while sliding, a movable head mounted on said third shaft for movement to a position adjacent the end of said reel whereby said head may be axially retracted from the reel end and swung about the axis of said rock shaft to clear the end of the reel for removal of material reeled thereon.

7. In a reeling apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said reel has a clover leaf type head and said movable head is of corresponding shape and in substantially angular registry therewith, said driving means maintaining said angular registry.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 922,743 4/1963 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A REELING APPARATUS, A REEL CARRYING ONE HEAD, MEANS TO ROTATE SAID REEL, A REMOVABLE HEAD, MEANS TO MOVABLY MOUNT SAID REMOVABLE HEAD FOR POSITIONING ITS AXIS IS ALIGNMENT WITH THE AXIS OF SAID REEL OR OUT OF ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, SAID MEANS ALSO INCORPORATING MEANS TO MOUNT SAID HEAD FOR MOVEMENT ALONG ITS AXIS OF ROTATION FOR MOVEMENT AXIALLY AWAY FROM THE REEL, AND MEANS TO ROTATE SAID REMOVABLE HEAD TO ROTATE SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE ROTATION OF SAID REEL IN ANY OF ITS VARIOUS POSITIONS. 